Earlier this month the exhibition Il Simbolismo, Arte in Europa dalla Belle Époque alla Grande Guerra, opened at the Milan’s Palazzo Reale. The show brings together artist of the Symbolist movement, which straddled the 19th and 20thcentury. These artists, sprawled across Europe, were united by a rejection of realistic representation as they retreated into the realm of fantasy and the unconscious mind. Importantly, this exhibition highlights many consequential Italian artists to the movement. Among these are Giulio Aristide Sartorio and Vittorio Zecchin. With 150 paintings, sculptures and prints drawn from public and private collections across Europe, the show also presents well-known figures such as Gustave Moreau and Paul Sérusier. The exhibition runs through June, 2016.
Giulio Aristide Sartorio, The Wise Virgins and the Foolish Virgins, 1890-91, tempera on panel
Giulio Aristide Sartorio, “Love” from the cycle The Epic Poem of Human Life, 1906-07, marble relief
Vittorio Zecchin, “Princesses in the Garden” from the cycle One Thousand and One Nights, 1914, oil on canvas.